>> hello and a very warm welcome to the "journal" on dw. >> our headlines for you at this hour -- >> the international criminal court considers a former ivory coast president has to stand trial for crimes against humanity. >> the south american model is laid to rest as her boyfriend appears in court and is charged with premeditated murder. >> germany's constitutional court eases restrictions on same-sex couples adopting children.

prosecutors at the international criminal court are laying out evidence against the former president of ivory coast. after the hearing, judges will assess if there's enough evidence to put him on trial. >> he is accused of committing crimes against humanity during the country's violently disputed presidential election in 2010. he denies the charges against him, and his lawyers say he should not be tried at the icc. >> he appeared calm and concentrated as the historic hearing got under way. he is the first former head of state to appear before the international criminal court. he is not due to respond to the charges against him until later next week. the court stressed that the hearing was preliminary and meant to establish if there was

enough evidence to try him. >> i would like to emphasize the fact that this hearing is not a trial as such. the chamber is not designed to make a finding in the hearing against the defendant. >> the prosecution is trying to prove that they have a strong case. they say he is indirectly responsible for crimes in the ivory coast including murder, rape, and prosecution. the charges date back to the country's four-month civil war. in november of that year, gbagbo lost his bid against the opposition leader but refused to accept defeat. more than 3000 people were killed in the subsequent clashes. the violence ended with his arrest the subsequent april. his lawyers have decried the proceedings as victor's justice and human rights groups have pointed out that no one close to the president has been arrested,

despite claims that his supporters also committed atrocities. >> significantly, laurent gbagbo will be the first head of state to appear at the international criminal court. i asked about the significance of this criminal case. >> it could be a very important step for international justice today, but there is still critique. ngo's and the united nations say that the icc is not fair because it charges only one side. if they want to prove that they are a credible institution, then they have to charge both sides, and then it could work to prove that there is international justice for everyone who commits atrocity crimes, regardless of its power position. >> i have not intention to kill her -- that is what said african

athlete oscar -- what south african athlete oscar pistorius said in court today. he said he fired shots at his girlfriend because he thought she was an intruder. >> he has been charged with premeditated murder. the hearing will resume tomorrow. meanwhile, friends and family pay their last respects at a service in her home town. >> oscar pistorius was in court and his girl friend's body was carried to chapel. the 29-year-old law graduate and model was cremated and laid to rest in the coastal city where she grew up. after the private ceremony, friends and members of her family expressed their grief. >> i want to say very much there is a space missing inside all of the people that she knew that cannot be filled again.

we are going to keep all the positive things that we remember and know about my sister, and we will try and continue with the things that she tried to make better. we will miss her. >> earlier, oscar pistorius was escorted to the courthouse. his lawyers say the death was accidental. prosecutors say he put on his prosthetic leg and shop reeva steenkamp through the bathroom door. >> our concern is that fame seems to be dictating how things should go. >> the case is not expected to go to trial for months. >> earlier, we talked to

journalists -- a journalist who was in the courtroom. he told us how the case is being received. >> as it is internationally, we have the sitting cabinet minister in court today appearing at the hearing. it has been one of the biggest media events south africa has seen. correspondents from every part of the world are here following the story. this comes at a time when south africa is involved in deep introspection in terms of violence against women. we are still reeling from shock at a particularly brutal rape case recently, so the debate around murder and rape of women is really at the forefront at the moment, and i think that is playing a big role in the general depiction of this case. >> tunisia's prime minister has resigned a day after his bid to

set up a government of technocrats failed. it was opposed by other members of his governing party. then he announced his resignation after a meeting with the president. he had proposed the non-partisan government as a way out of the political crisis sparked by the opposition of a leading opposition figure. >> the german government has approved sending up to 330 german soldiers to mali to help the army in its battle against muslim militants one day after a european union trading mission was formally approved by eu foreign ministers in brussels -- european union training mission was formally approved. >> citizens are worried involvement could be a long, drawn-out affair like in afghanistan. the point has to be approved by the bundestag later this week. >> french and malian forces engaged in a gunbattle.

under a new proposal, german troops would not join them on the front line, but they would provide more logistical support, like using airbus jets to refuel french warplanes mid-air. an additional 150 troops will be needed for this task. several military planes are already being used to transport soldiers. >> we europeans have a strong interest in making sure that a safe haven for global terrorism is not allowed to develop on our doorstep. >> the german cabinet also wants to help train and assess the performance of the malian army. german soldiers will work together with units from other eu countries. >> the army needs to be trained from scratch so they can take over security themselves. we hope this is feasible, but it is a difficult and long-term challenge.

>> the german parliament is expected to approve the changes to the mandates for the german forces. both will expire in one year's time. despite this, though, berlin knows its troops could be in for the long haul. >> germany's constitutional court has eased restrictions on same-sex couples adopting children. the justices ruled that one member of a civil partnership should be able to adopt their partners stepchild or adopted child. >> as the case with heterosexual married couples as well. until now, they could only adopt a partner's biological child. >> this is the steinbeck family. kim was adopted. miles is vera's biological child. that allowed him to be adopted, but not his sister. now judges said that discrepancy violates the constitution. >> the fact that the civil

partner is a homosexual is no reason for different rulings on adoption. couples in a long-term civil partnership can provide for a child's welfare just as well as a married couple. >> the judges went on to say that same-sex couples are just as able to protect and foster a child's upbringing as married heterosexual couples. germany's green party wants homosexual couples to have the same adoption rights as their heterosexual counterparts. >> today is a wonderful day for gay and lesbian people, the fifth victory of the constitutional court against the governing coalition's policy, and that is why it is time to say let's put an end to discrimination. >> shortly after the deliberations, the european court of human rights also ruled on the issue of gay adoption. it said austria's ban on homosexuals adopting their partners' children was discriminatory. in france, the netherlands,

belgium, spain, sweden, and denmark, gay couples have the same adoption rights as heterosexual ones. >> earlier, we spoke with our correspondent and asked how significant the court ruling is for germany's same-sex couples. >> it is a small but important step in what they would say is the right direction, but i think it would say there is still a lot of work to be done on issues like same-sex marriage and adoption issues, as we've just seen. certainly, in germany, the greens were leading the way trying to get legislation through parliament on these issues, but it has been blocked by angela merkel's conservatives, by and large. a lot of people in conservative ranks want to defend what they view as a more traditional view of the family. these are divisive issues. there's a lot of passion around this. it is very emotional. the greens are saying they're going to make all these issues an element of their election

manifesto, so that should be interesting. there is a lot of passion in germany. i have to say also that is not quite as much as it was recently in france where tens of thousands of people took to the streets in demonstrations for and against same-sex marriage. we saw similar scenes in the british parliament as well. >> the outlook is brightening for europe's biggest economy. investor sentiment in germany has surged to a three-year high. >> the index is one of the most closely watched investor confidence surveys. it pulls germany's top 300 financial analysts and is being taken as another sign that the german economy could rebound quickly from a sharp slowdown at the end of last year. on today's market action. german blue chips rallied tuesday to lock in solid gains for the second day running. all correspondence sent us this summary of the trading session in frankfurt. >> for the first time in weeks, traders had a reason to be happy again.

stronger than expected zew investor sentiment was even welcomed with applause. after the heavy growth decline in winter, the data indicate a strong comeback of the german economy, driving up the european markets, but the euro was lagging behind because currency traders are already worried ahead of the election, which will take place on sunday. there was high demand for cars shares despite the record low of overall european car sales in january. sales by germany's premier car makers bmw and daimler rose again. analysts take a closer look at the closing numbers. euro stoxx 50 up. the dow up by nearly 0.4% this hour. the euro a bit stronger against the greenback at $1.3386. >> after the break, we will be

bringing you a football revolution. >> but first, other stories making news this hour -- >> the united nations says the death toll in afghanistan has fallen for the first time in six years. a new united nations report says civilian casualties' dropped 12% in 2012. the number of women and girls killed has increase. >> syrian opposition activists say at least 20 people have been killed in a rocket attack on aleppo. around two dozen more are still missing. women and children are said to be among the victims. in the capital damascus, three mortar bombs landed in the presidential palace. no casualties were reported. bamut turkish police have launched a nationwide raid on suspected members of a militant leftist group. they claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside the u.s. embassy early this month.

after the break, the problems of cross-border love in the eu. >> and goal line technology finally upon us. stay with us.

>> welcome back. being a citizen of an eu member countries has brought many new rights and benefits, such as the right to free movement within the trading bloc and the right to work in any other member country, but exercising those rights is still sometimes a little more complicated than one would expect. >> today in brussels, the eu prominent commissioner discussing every day hurdles that many citizens face in the you. they will be looking a practical solutions, especially when it comes to the right of free movement. >> with 2013 officially declared as the year of the european citizen, we found out exactly how tricky it can be to live the e you dream.

>> he is the very academy of a modern uses and here the 26- year-old german studied in the netherlands, works and lives in belgium, and is married to a finn. she understands the challenges of relocating from one country to another, especially dealing with bureaucracy. >> it took four attempts to register with the authorities. no one there seemed to know what was needed. one time it was a photo. another time it was money. another time, a missing document. i would expect a bit more professionalism and that these people know what you need. >> but relocating was nothing compared to arranging a european marriage. falling in love was the easy part. then came the mountains of paperwork. it illustrates how the european union has neglected everyday issues facing citizens. >> it was a very long procedure. it was funny -- we had to laugh now and then about the

craziness. there were countless translations and certified documents needed. after the wedding, getting my name and status change was madness. the whole thing started from scratch again. >> a special day amid months of bureaucratic headaches. standard documentation and procedures across the eu could simplify it all, but there simply are none yet. >> for more, we talked to our european correspondent in brussels and asked if that story we just heard is typical for the kind of bureaucratic hurdles that eu citizens have to face. >> yes, unfortunately, it is -- citizen still face lots of problems when they want to get their documents recognized in other countries. that has to do with the many different languages we have in the eu and the many different bureaucratic systems in all the 27 member states.

it ranges from problems that you encounter like we have just seen in the example when you want to get married from somebody to crime that happened in some other country or when you ask yourself -- can i get my pension paid out in a different eu country to the one that i spent my working days in? of course, this problem is affecting more and more people because the eu keeps growing, and more and more people are affected by these kinds of problems. >> hi if you look at voter turnout for e you elections, for example, the european it has not really captured the imagination of its citizens -- the europeans id has that really captured the imagination of citizens. >> what we know now as the european union started off as a project for closer economic cooperation between individual nations, and, of course, now only we are moving towards a political union, but it is a very slow process. many citizens still feel that they are sort of left behind, that they are not part of this

process, that they do not know about their rights. they feel ill-informed, and the european union is slowly beginning to recognize all those problems, and they are recognizing that not many people feel involved in the political process. they do not go to the polls, simply put, and they want to change that, so that is why they have proclaimed 2013 to be their european year of citizens. there will be plenty of events, and the goal is to create not so much a european identity because there's still a question of if that is even possible, if you can actually field a european identity or if you tend to identify with your nation more, but there is some kind of attempt to create some kind of european awareness so that people actually go to the polls next year when the european parliament is elected. more and more decisions are not taken on a national level. they are taken here in brussels. >> thank you. >> well, new cars still are not

rolling off the lots in europe anywhere near levels automakers would hope to see. the association of european automakers says sales in january were the weakest since they started keeping records more than 20 years ago. >> there are some hopes for an upturn in the eurozone economy, but so far, most consumers are not feeling all that optimistic just yet. >> a new car is out of reach for many in greece, spain, and italy. for months now, car sales have been plummeting in europe's hottest economies, and there have not been any signs yet that this year will bring an improvement. car sales in italy were down by 18% in january over the same month last year. a big drop has also been reported in france. britain is the one exception. sales have continued to recover from the economic crisis. in january, car sales in britain were up 11% on the previous

year. european carmakers such as bmw and volkswagen are having to look further afield to china, the u.s., and brazil. sales to those markets are rising constantly, and german car makers especially see lots more potential in growth markets like latin america and asia. rising sales there are more than making up for falling sales in europe. >> champions league action kicks off in just a few moment time. bayern munich take on english club arsenal with the odds stacked firmly in favor of the germans. >> the team has not conceded a goal in competitive place since mid-december, but london is promising passion on the pitch as the gunners pursue their last chance in the season to end a trophy trout stretching all the way back to 2005. >> unlike bayern munich, and now only have the champions league title to play for.

out of the cup and out of contention in the english premier league, they need a big performance against the bavaria's to quiet the critics. >> of course, we will try to score goals. but we tried to go forward and tried to score goals. >> in london, they are hoping to continue their solid season. >> of course, the champions league is something special. the best teams in europe compete in it, so the play is at a much higher level than in the bundesliga, depending on the circumstances, of course. >> there's always this second leg. in three weeks time in munich. >> it has been years in the coming, but soccer is finally on the brink of a revolution.

goal line technology has been cleared for usage during this year's confederations cup in brazil as a dress rehearsal for the 2014 world cup when it will be fully operational. >> the new technology will assist the referee and his on- field assistant in deciding if a goal has actually been scored. companies producing the systems that work in different ways are pitching their systems to fifa at the moment. two of the systems have already been awarded licenses. the aim will be to avoid controversial referee decisions. >> was it in or out? football fans argue over the 1960 since -- 1966 decision for over half a century. controversies like this could be headed for the history books. fifa has given the green light to goal line technology at next year's world cup in brazil.

with testing under way, two options are seen as the front runners. one is the caucus system, which is already used in professional tennis -- one is the hawkeyes system. multiple cameras calculate the position of the ball and notify the referee when it crosses the line. the second system places an electronic chip inside the ball. when it crosses the line, it is detected by a magnetic field, also sending a signal to the referee. others depend on video replay analysis -- others are calling for a video replay analysis, but officials fear that could slow down the game. >> time for a step back in time. >> this tuesday, an exhibition opened in the german city of dresden. visitors can see some 350 pieces out of a collection of over 13,000. only the crandall a crime of being presented -- only the creme de la creme are being

presented. ellis take a closer look. >> the golden suit of armor -- a symbol of power, honor, and fame with which eric of sweden tried to woo britain's queen elizabeth. to no avail. it forms one of the centerpieces of the exhibition. >> on the one hand, it was a question of male vanity, which still exists today. it was also something nobles took for granted at the time. they would fight, arrived in tournaments. people kept tournament books. the elector of saxony was proud if he had written in 55 tournaments -- ridden in 55 tournaments. >> the recall is 60 meters long and 10 meters high. it holds one of the world's most splendid armories.

tournament scenes have been reconstructed in full detail from jousting tools to the close quarters combat of the malay -- from jousting duels to the close quarters combat of the melee. >> today, we can simulate things by computer, but here, people can experience the old world. it is very exciting. them a grant writing tournaments' can be imagined in the great hall. reconstruction work costs 13 million euros but without the blood and gore of the middle ages. >> that is it from us now. we will be back in an hour's time, so don't go away. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--